Video Game Test: After TT Isle of Man, will MotoGP 18 crack Bikers?

MotoGP 18 has just been released. An event for fans of this hit series. But will the bikers crack for this cult title just after the release of TT Isle Of Man?

On PS4, XBox One, PC and Switch. It’s nice, the bikers are out, as well on the roads as in front of their console. And we can say that they are lucky right now, the bikers. While they have just devoured TT Isle of Man , they can already rush on the new version of MotoGP , the racing simulation game that offers “a more immersive and realistic experience than ever,” according to its designers.

The graphics and the gameplay are nice

Designers who put the package on the visuals, on the packaging, the trailers … Everything seems more real than nature … Maybe a little too much we say, because when we unpack the gift, we still have sometimes some bad to find our account.

Graphically the game is rather nice, the gameplay is good. Level content, the fans of the license will regain their happiness, with the 19 official circuits of the MotoGP season, the different racing modes (grand prix, against the clock ….), The presence of the drivers who shoot themselves in the reality…

But, when we are not already a bitch of the game, we will especially experience a lot of tension when taking orders. First by undergoing extremely long loading times, then repetitive and uninviting animations …

Driving in all this? The sensations from the start are pretty good, although the bike always seems to turn sharply to the left or right when you become familiar with it in the first turns. We lift our foot, we play more smoothly with the joystick and we get used to it a little, thinking that it’s going to be ok …

A confusing artificial intelligence

However, playing MotoGP 18 in the shoes of a beginner quickly becomes frustrating. Even in very easy mode, the slightest difference in curve makes you leave the track and you see a delusional artificial intelligence to implement.

In case of a glitch, the drivers who follow you will pass in front of you in a tight row, one behind the other and, by the time you get back on track, they will have taken the powder off. Good luck to catch up then. So, imagine in hard mode. Assisted driving will make it a little easier, but it will not change the game dramatically.

MotoGP 18

We felt the same sensations during the test Drive Club, for fans of racing. The same Indian file of vehicles that advances in a linear way and you loose a block at the first gap. The first rolls almost at the same speed as the last one. Dogs bark but the caravan moves…

Are you talking about collisions? If you hit another bike, or another driver hits you, you’ll end up on the ground, that’s for sure. With a replay of the fall well tried but not really successful. Oddly it will be much less systematic for the other protagonist …

It may be a question of point of view will you tell us? And if we changed angles to put ourselves in the driver’s seat. It took us some time to finally find the order: it is on the touchpad that it happens … We did not adore the view in the third person, but then there, the camera is a disaster. The first-person view gives you nausea …In terms of atmosphere, the developers have tried hard to make efforts, but they focused on the before and after the race. Some attempts to make the speakers interesting, but they quickly tend to repeat themselves.

Ditto for the return to the stand. In race, once before or let go, nothing is happening around you, the stands seem far away and sad, the circuits look deserted. Until the sound of the bikes, which sounds wrong.

It was not long ago by TT Isle of Man box that seduced us, which proves our ability to love motorcycle games.

The last Gravel , signed by the same Milestone studio, was also pretty well received . But this time, with MotoGP 18, the developer of the beautiful MXGP (motocross game) is struggling to convince us.

MotoGP 18 Screenshot of the game

Maybe by spending more time adjusting the bikes and chiading his driving, the sensations would have been better. But the first impressions did not encourage us to cling more to the throttle grip … After several hours still hang on the handlebars of our bike.

If you have the “misfortune” of having played just before racing beasts, like the legendary GT Sport for example, the slap will hurt. In all points of view. But MotoGP remains a motorcycle game and they are not legions on the shelves, a reason maybe to be a little more indulgent with the developers?

Practical information: MotoGP 18. Motorcycle racing game. Edited by Bandai Namco Games and developed by Milestone. On PS4, Xbox One, PC and Switch. Price found: between 50 and 60 euros.